Shipping-record.



A. LAR$SON.

SHIPPING RECORD. 7

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 22, 1912 1,127,365., Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 WITNESSES MM THE NORRIS PETERS '30., FHOTC LrrHa, WASHINGTON D. c.

A. LARSSON.

v SHIPPING RECORD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2 1912.

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WTTE @T SHIPPING-RECORD.

Application filed April 22,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, AXEL LAnssoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Records, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in way billing systems, designed particularly for use by raliroads, steamboats express companies, and other carriers of freight and merchandise wherein it is necessary to keep a record of the description of the property, weights, destination, consignor, consignee, number of packages, billing charges, etc.

At the present time it is usual and customary for a shipper when he has freight to be transported to make out in triplicate a bill of lading, a shipping order, and a memorandum, when required for his own use, upon which he describes the property to be transported, names the place of delivery to the carrier, the destination and name of consignee, and the routing of the lines over which it is to be carried. This document is dated and signed byathe shipper in duplicate or triplicate, as the case may be, is then passed to the agent of the receiving carrier, and after being duly checked, is also signed by him in duplicate or triplicate, as the case may be. The original and memorandum, when required, is returned to the shipper and the copy or shipping order is retained by the carriers agent. The copy retained by the carriers agent is then passed to a clerk for his use and information in writing or making a way bill for the freight and copies for the different officers of the carrier, where records of such kind are reuired to be kept or filed, and also copies 'or connecting intermediate carriers over whose lines the property is routed or transported. This requires a duplication of work and afiords opportunity for numerous errors in the transcribing or copying of the shipping order.

My invention therefore has for its principal object the provision of a way billing system which will obviate this unnecessary duplication of work and which will greatly. simplify the present system by combining a bill of lading, a way bill for freight, a copy of the way bill and bill of lading, and a memorandum or acknowledgment of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

1912. Serial no. 592,464.

hill of lading for either a straight shipment or an order in book form of standard size, which can be preserved as a perpetual. record and reference for adjusting disputes and claims as to overcharge, non-delivery, miscarriage, etc. of freight. 7

Another object of my invention is the provision of a way billing system which will. meet with the requirements of the Interstate Commerce Gommission regarding the uniformity of bills of lading and which system will embody the requisite qualities of simplicity, compactness and absolute accuracy to insure a highly desirable, practical and inexpensive improvement upon the present method.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a way billing system in which the movement of freight and merchandise will be appreciably facilitated, and which system will obviate the necessity of employing the services of expensive billing clerks and the making of new way bills and memorandums thereof, thereby effecting an enormous reduction of the carriers expenses; which will render impossible the occurrence of numerous and costly errors in transcribing; which will be readily accessible for tracing shipments and similar reference work; and which will bing the shipper and carrier in closer relations with each other.

iVith the attainment of these and other objects in View, my invention broadly stated resides in the provision of a way billing system comprising a book form embodying certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, substantially as shown, described and claimed hereinafter, reference now being had. to the accompany ng drawings, in which-- Figure l. is a perspective view of the complete book or hinder used in my bill of lading system, illustrating clearly the component parts of the book and system and particularly showing the manifolding arrangement whereby the one writing serves to provide four copies, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the complete book in opened position to illustrate its peculiar construction, the way bill being spread outward for detachment from the shipping order.

My invention preferably comprises four forms or sheets, namely, a straight or an order bill of lading, designated by the numeral l, a way hill 2, a shipping order and copy of the way bill 3, and a memorandum forate line 7 to provide means for readily detaching the sheets.

Between each sheet is interposed a carbon sheet or manifolding medium 8 whereby the impression from the pen or pencil upon the first sheet is transferred to each sheet successively of the series of four sheets. The book or binder is thus composed of a cover or binder and a determined series of four sheets designated as sheets 1, 2, 3 and 1, and preferably bearing these numbers in practice.

' To facilitate the handling and ready recognition of the respective sheets comprising each series of four, the sheets are preferably colored distinctively, sheets number 1 and 1 being white and the intermediate sheets? and 3 a dull yellow for a straight or nonnegotiabl'e bill of lading; and sheet number 1 being a bright yellow, sheets 2 and 3 a dull yellow, and sheet number 4: a blue in the case of an order bill of lading. Of course I do not limit myself to this or any other particular color scheme, the salient feature of the arrangement being the provision of distinctive colors for the respective series to enable them to be readily recognized.

For the purpose of adding rigidity and stiffness to the binder which is preferably of fiexible construction, I provide a sheet of tin or other metal 8 of a size to conform with the size of the sheet series. This metallic sheet is used as a backing for the binder and facilitates its use when writing a bill of lading.

The covers of, the bill. of lading may contain the name of the carrier, the instructions for use, and an index of the contents, names of the consignor, consignee, etc. for purposes of filing and the like.

Upon the front face of each sheet is the space 9 for the address and name of the con signor, the space 10 for the address and name of the consignee, the space 11 for the routing, the space 12 for the car number, the space 18 for the weight, the space 14: for the rates, the space 15 for the train number, the space 16 for description of the goods, the space 17 for the signatures. In the case of sheets 1 and 4 printed conditions 18 are arranged on the front faces, While in the case of sheets 2 and 3, spaces 19 are provided which may be filled in by the agent of the carrier with the correct classified weights, total rate and tariff charges, etc. Each sheet bears upon its rear face a printed list of conditions 20. Sheet 2 is torn from sheet 3, after the way bill has been properly made out, by tearing along the horizontal perforated line and is retained by the agent, as

is sheet 3. Sheet 4 provides a memorandum which may be left in the book or binder.

From this construction it will be noted that the single writing provides four copies and obviates the necessity of a duplication of the writing in case of an interline shipment, and it is possible to take extra tissue copies of sheet 2 when the shipment is through billed to a point beyond the rails of the initial carriers lines.

.My system has many advantages over the present systems now in use and briefly enumerated are as follows The carriers do not need to make an entire new way bill from the shippers order now an in use, but completes the copy rendered by the shipper, using for that purposesheet 2 with number 3 for station record or copy, thereby facilitating the movement of freight and obviating the services of expensive billing clerks and the making of new waybills, thus avoiding the possibility of error in transcribing.

The system also facilitates the transporting of lost and astray and, slow moving freight, as the shipper-hasuponhis memorandum copy the way bill number and the date on which the shipment was forwarded and can at all times supply this information in making inquiries in tracing the shipment. Under the present method, the shipper does not have the way bill number and in making inquiries of the agent, can only furnish general information, thereby causing the agent to hunt out from volumes of records the particular way bill number of the shipping order.

My improvements alsoreduce to a minimum the records that are required to be kept by the companies. Heretofore, railroad companies have kept one system of files containing the shippers order, another distinct system of files containing copies ofway bills. This system reduces such files to one record instead of two and makes one examination suflice where two were heretofore required, 1

thus reducing the clerical. work and extra copying of the description of property, number of packages, weights, etc, as now employed. i

The improvements are. capable of use 5 upon the present standardized sizeof way bill and hence no re-arrangement as to filing space is required, and inasmuch as the systemwill reduce the number of documents required to be kept, a material saving in fil- 2o ing space will be effected. Moreover, the shippers instructions would pass with the shipment to the delivering agentand would enable him as representative of the shipper to deal direct with the consignee and make settlement on delivery, as the agent can comply with all the terms and conditions ofthe shipping order, resultingin a great reduction of claims for both overcharges and undercharges occasioned by shippers original writing following one shipment from origin to destination.

My improved system can also be used for re-billing at junction points where the initial line does not elect to way bill through to destination, but requires a settlement at the time freight passes to the connecting line. The agent of the connecting line can make out this form of billing in lieu of the transfer slip practice now in use, which re quires both forwarding and receiving agent to duplicate the documents, the agent of the delivering line at such transfer point being required to collect and receive settlement from the connecting line, as if he were the shipper at the initial point.

One of the important features of this in vention, resides in the placing between the first and fourth sheets of the series, the sheet having an integral contiguous portion which opens outward or laterally and is perforated along the edge to permit the sheet to be instantly torn and removed after a complete record or memorandum has been made upon the first sheet of the series.

It will be understood that my invention may be employed as a record for shipments of freight or express matter, as the same general record is used in both cases, and my improvement is designed to save labo and expense and also to present the record in the proper form and size for the filing devices in general use, and also to give the record in a perfect condition with the proper receipts to the shipper and to the carrier.

At present in the shipping of freight or express matter, when the shipper presents the goods for shipment, a sheet is prepared giving the goods to be shipped and at the same time two carbons are made by manifolding from this sheet, one of these sheets is given to the shipper, the other goes with the goods, and the third remains at the shipping station, and from this third sheet the complete record is made, this last sheet requiring the entire preparation of the complete record, making a double amount of work and the necessary expense incurred thereby. The main purpose of my invention is to entirely dispense with the preparation separately ofthis record sheet and to prepare originally the main information on four sheets by manifolding and at one writing, thus saving a great amount of time, labor and expense, and keeping the entire record in much better order and arrangement than at present and obviating the danger of mistakes.

I claim A shipping record comprising four superposed sheets bound together, each bearing a printed form, two of said sheets when filled with appropriate data constituting a bill of lading, receipt and a copy thereof, respectively, the two remaining sheets constituting a Way bill and copy thereof, and being connected together by a weakened line extending from the binding edge to the opposite edge of the sheet, and folded thereon so as to constitute a doubled sheet, one of the folded parts of the double sheet being detachably connected to the binding edge and the other part being free, the several sheets adapted to receive carbon sheets therebetween.

In testimony whereof I afilx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AXEL LARSSON.

lVitnesses CHAS. L. BROWN, HUGH T. SIME.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01' Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

